3/20 - One Portrait. One Story

So I've decided to start my own personal project, inspired by the lovely Jodi at Che and Fidel.
For the last 20 weeks of the year, I will be taking a portrait of a person I know, meet or come into contact with. One portrait each week, one story each week.
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Meet Steve.

I met Steve yesterday. I met him in a tin shed on top of a hill preaching to hundreds of people just like me.

It seems that Katoomba was just too captivating, for Stephen and I, that it drew us back two weeks in a row. This week we were up for Engage 13 - A KCC conference teaching the Bible to young workers so that they will live to the glory of Christ in all areas of life. The topic this year - Purity and Sanity in a Sex Crazed World. I can tell you all now that I thought I knew a lot about this topic, I mean I've been in a relationship for over 3 years right? Boy was I wrong. There is so much more to learn and understand about relationships and love and everything really that I have no idea how I'm going to try and soak it in over the remaining years of my life - I guess thats when I just "Let Go(D)"

Steve was the MC and seminar preacher for Engage 13. He was a great speaker, so captivating and knowledgeable. I always find it interesting listening to a preacher that isn't from my own church. It feels so foreign yet so exciting and engaging.

I found Steve interesting because he seemed so normal. Does that make sense? I feel like no-one can ever be truly 'normal', whatever that means, and I wanted to know what his story was. So my curiosity got the better of me and I approached him as the day drew to a close. I always get nervous walking up to a total stranger but Steve made it known that he wasn't a stranger, he was my brother in Christ, what's there to be nervous about?

For a quick run down - Steve has been ministering for over 10 years, he's married, has three children, plays bass guitar, loves surfing, cricket and fishing and is the chairman of Katoomba's Engage Convention.

What struck me most about Steve was his patience and his love for his brothers and sisters around him. After his talk, he spent over an hour answering people's questions outside while everyone else wandered off for their free time. He waited. People had questions to be answered and he wanted to help them out. He probably had other/better things to do but this was his priority, we were his priority. In the warm Katoomba sun he stood answering everyone's questions and finally just when he thought everyone had walked away, Stephen and I come wandering by asking if we could take his photo and get to know him a little better. If I was him, I probably would have said no, I'm tired, I'm hot, I'm sweaty, there are literally hundreds of other people here, go ask them. But no, Steve said "yeah sure!" and continued to talk to me about my photography, his christian life and left both Stephen and I feeling encouraged and happy to be apart of such a loving community of people.

Thanks Steve for your ministry. Thank you for being a support to all those around you! You are a humbling inspiration.

P.S. Next week I need to find a lady to take a portrait of. Too much testosterone on my blog at the moment.
P.P.S Happy Spring Everybody and Happy Fathers Day to this man <3